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Aug. 14, 1962 J. D. MOYER 3,048,990 YARN FEED CONTROL MEANS FOR KNITTINGMACHINES Filed Dec. 24, 1959 I 2 Sheets-Sheet l l INVENTOR. 32 v /0 7James Q Ma er BY Mdfi Aug. 14, 1962 J. D. MOYER 3,048,990

YARN FEED CONTROL MEANS FOR KNITTING MACHINES Filed Dec. 24, 1959 2Sheets-Sheet .2

FILE QL IN V EN TOR. v James Q Myer United States Patent Office3,048,999 Patented Aug. 14, 1962 3,048,990 YARN FEED CONTROL MEANS FORKNITTING MACHINES James D. Meyer, Wyomissing, Pa., assignor to TextileMachine Works, Wyomissing, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Dec.24, 1959, Ser. No. 861,842 Claims. (Cl. 66138) This invention relates tomultifeed circular knitting machines for forming pattern areas instockings and more particularly to means in such machines forcontrolling the operation of yarn fingers.

In circular knitting machines having a multiplicity of feed stationsmeans are commonly provided for feeding yarns and reciprocatorilyknitting the same on a group of needles adapted to knit at each of thestations to form suture joined solid color pattern areas in tubularfabrics such as for stockings and the like. Where the number of patternareas requires only a single yarn finger at each of the feed stations,all of the feed stations are in simultaneous operation to form suchpattern areas. However, where the number of different pattern areas tobe formed require the use of two or more difierent yarn fingers at someor all of the feed stations provided in the machine, one of the yarnfingers at each of the stations is in operation to feed its yarn to onepart of the needle group selected at the station to form alternatepattern areas and the other fingers at the stations are subsequentlyoperated to feed their yarns to a different part or parts of the needlegroup associated with each station to form intervening pattern areas,one method of operating the yarn fingers at the stations in this mannerbeing disclosed in Patent No. 2,759,946, issued November 15, 1960, andbeing generally referred to as the fillin system of knitting.

Heretofore, in order to operate the yarn fingers at the various feedstations, a pair of yarn fingers required to knit at each of theknitting stations were simultaneously moved to active yarn feedingpositions by pattern means provided at each station and the fingers werethen alternately moved to inactive position during pairs ofreciprocatory strokes of the machine to form pairs of courses in thedifferent pattern areas. Where the design of the pattern areas requireda further change of the yarn fingers at each station, one or a pair ofdifferent yarn fingers were substituted for the fingers of the firstpair and the substituted fingers were likewise alternately moved toinactive positions. In one form of mechanism for operating the yarnfingers according to this procedure, fingers positioned to the left ofthe center of each of the stations were permitted to remain in feedingposition for a pair of knitting strokes while the fingers positioned tothe right of the center of each station were moved to inactive positionand the active and inactive position of the fingers were reversed forthe next pair of knitting strokes. Where the feeding of the yarnsassociated with each station remains within the needle selection of thestation that is, the area formed by the yarn of the right finger at onestation remains to the left of the left area formed by the yarn of theadjacent left finger at the adjacent station no confilict occurs betweenthe yarns as they are formed into the alternate groups of patternsections. However, where adjacent pattern areas of a pair formed atadjacent stations cross each other and are formed within the needleselection associated with the adjacent stations, that is the area formedby the right finger at the one station is formed to the right of thearea formed by the left finger at the adjacent station, the feeding pathof the yarns cross each other causing them to become entangled,resulting in the formation of objectionable floats in these patternareas.

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide means in acircular knitting machine having a plurality of knitting stations forovercoming the above mentioned and other objections in the feeding ofthe yarns at the knitting stations to form tubular patterned fabric suchas for stockings.

Another object of the invention is the provision of means in amulti-station circular knitting machine for controlling the operation ofthe yarn fingers at the stations whereby a yarn associated with onestation is caused to knit within the needle selection at an adjacentstation without becoming entangled with the yarn fed at the adjacentstation.

A further object of the invention is the provision of means, in acircular knitting machine having a plurality of feeding stations, forcontrolling the feeding operation of a plurality of yarn fingers at eachof the stations including a main pattern means for simultaneouslypositioning a pair of yarn fingers in feeding position at each of thestations and an oscillatable ring member which acts to move a leadingfinger of each pair of fingers out of feeding position at each of anopposed pair of the stations and to move a trailing finger of each pairof fingers out of feeding position at another opposed pair of thestations during each oscillating movement of the ring member.

With these and other objects in View which will become apparent from thedetailed description of the illustrative embodiment of the inventionshown in the accompanying drawings, the invention resides in the novelelements, features of construction and cooperation of parts, ashereinafter more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a portion of a multifeed circular knittingmachine having mechanism for controlling the operation of the yarnfingers in accordance with the instant invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale taken substantially onthe line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an elevatlonal view of mechanism as seen from the left of FIG.2; and

FIG. 4 is a plan View of a portion of the operating means for the yarnfinger controlling mechanism of the invention.

The mechanism of the instant invention is preferably associated with acircular knitting machine having a plurality of knitting stations of thetype disclosed in British Patent No. 790,141 issued to Benjamin FranklinCoile, published February 5, 1958, hereinafter referred to as the CoileDisclosure, to which reference may be made. The machine of the CoileDisclosure is adapted for both rotary and reciprocatory knitting andincludes means for feeding a plurality of yarns to selected groups ofneedles at each of the stations with certain of the needles selected ateach station also being adapted for selection at each of the otherstations.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings, the machine shown includes astationary sinker cap 10 having sinkers 11 mounted therein for radialmovements in cooperation with latch needles 12 mounted for verticalmovement in slots in a needle cylinder 15. The cylinder 15 is adaptedfor both rotary and reciprocatory movements, the latter movements beinggenerally 360 degrees in each direction. The machine is also providedwith four circumferentially spaced knitting stations generally indicatedat 16, 17, 18 and 19, respectively, and each station includes aplurality of pivotally mounted yarn fingers which are moved individuallyinto and out of feeding position by a control drum 21. The yarn fingers,five in number at each of the stations, are similarly indicated at 25,26, 27, 28 and 29 at the stations. Each control drum 21 is adapted to beselectively indexed by ratchet and pawl mechanism indicated generally at31 under the control of main pattern drums (not shown) of the machine;

The yarn fingers 25 to 29 at each of the knitting stations are supportedfor pivotal movement on a shaft 39 mounted in the end walls of a housing32 secured to a portion of the sinker cap 10. Also supported in thehousing 32 are lifters or levers 33 one for each of the yarn fingers,the levers 33 being pivotally mounted on a pin 35 carried in thehousing. The levers 33, individually associated with the yarn fingers,are adapted to selectively move the fingers under the control ofindividual rows of buttons 36 on the drum 21, the buttons being spacedin accordance with the yarn finger selections desired. A button 36 willmove a lever 33 to raise its associated yarn finger to inactive positionwhich is the highest level indicated in FIG. 2 and in the absence of abutton, the yarn finger is moved to a lower active position, which isthe position of finger 29, by a spring (not shown). Hence, at each ofthe knitting stations 16 to 19, the drum 21 constitutes the main patternmeans for controlling the positions of the individual yarn fingers 25 to29.

Yarn fingers which are moved to active position by the drums 21 at eachof the knitting stations are also adapted to be individually movedbetween active and inactive positions, the latter position beingindicated by finger 25 in FIG. 2, to form a plurality of suture joinedpatterned areas in a tubular fabric as hereinafter set forth. For thispurpose the yarn fingers are operated by mechanism of the type generallyset forth in Patent No. 2,948,- 131, issued August 9, 1960, covering thealternate operation of a pair or pairs of fingers at each of theknitting stations for forming pattern areas in a tubular fabric. Themechanism of said Patent No. 2,948,131 includes a ring member 37 whichis mounted on the sinker cap 10 within bearing surfaces 40 suitablyformed on the inner faces of the housing 32 (FIG. 2) at each of theknitting stations. The ring member 37 is adapted to be intermittentlyoscillated by mechanism hereinafter set forth.

Mechanism is provided for oscillating the ring member 37, according tosaid Patent No. 2,948,131, whereby the ring member is moved once foreach two successive knitting strokes, that is, the ring member isoscillated in one direction during a forward and a reverse knittingstroke of the needle cylinder and thereafter the ring member isoscillated in the opposite direction during the next forward and reversestrokes of knitting after which the operating sequence of the ringmember is repeated. The mechanism for this purpose includes a shaft 41which corresponds to the shaft 176 of said Coile Disclosure and whichmakes one complete revolution during the time the needle cylinder movesthrough two successive strokes of reciprocatory knitting, that is astroke in a forward direction and a stroke in the reverse direction.Mounted on the shaft 41 for rotation therewith is a spur gear 72 whichis in meshing engagement with a spur gear 75 having a pitch diametertwice that of the gear 72. The gear 75 is mounted for rotation in fixedposition in relationship to the gear 72 and is provided with an upwardlyprojecting off-center pin 76. The pin 76 is adapted to alternatelyengage cam faces and 51 formed on a pair of rocker arms 52 and 53,respectively. The rocker arms 52 and 53 are adjustable relative to eachother and with a member 56 are secured by screws 57 to a hub 68 which isrotatably journalled on a shaft 61. The member 56 has an extension 62which is provided with a slot 65 for receiving a pin 66 extendingupwardly from the ring member 37.

As hereinbefore set forth, the shaft 41, and with it the gear 72, makesone complete revolution for each two reciprocatory strokes of the needlecylinder 15. The gear 75, on the other hand, moves at half the speed ofgear 72 and makes one complete revolution for each four reciprocatorystrokes of the needle cylinder during which the pin 76 alternatelyengages the rocker arms 52 and 53 to oscillate the ring member in onedirection for a pair of successive reciprocatory strokes of the cylinderto form a pair of courses and then to oscillate the ring member in theopposite direction for a pair of reciprocatory strokes of the cylinderto form a second pair of courses. The gear 75 is also adapted to bemoved axially in its mounting whereby the pin 76 will not engage therocker arm 53 but will engage the arm 52 to thereby maintain the arms 52and 53 and the ring member 37 in one position to idle the ring member.

The mechanism for oscillating the ring member 37 once for each twosuccessive reciprocatory strokes of the cylinder forms no part of theinstant invention and is only shown in such detail as to provide a clearunderstanding of the mechanism of the instant invention and itsoperation.

In said Patent No. 2,948,131, fingers of a pair, such as fingers 25 and29, are alternately moved between active and inactive positions at theknitting stations 17 and 19 during oscillating movements of the ringmember 37. Finger 25 which is to the left of the group of fingers isadapted to feed its yarn to the left portion of the needles of the groupof needles selected to knit at stations =17 and 19 and finger 29 whichis to the right of the group of fingers is adapted to feed its yarn tothe right portion of the needle selection at these stations. Foralternately moving the fingers between active and inactive positions thering member is provided with suitably spaced cams 67 which are adaptedto engage pins 71 carried on the fingers so that during an oscillationof the ring member 37 in the counterclockwise direction, the fingers 25at stations 17 and 19 are moved to inactive position while the fingers29 are in active position at these stations and during a clockwiseoscillation of the ring member the fingers 29 are moved to inactiveposition While the fingers 25 are in active positions at the stations 17and 19.

In said Patent No. 2,948,131, the yarn fingers 25 and 29 at the stations16 and 18 are also alternately moved from active to inactive positionsby means of cams 67 during alternate oscillating movements of the ringmember 37 to feed their yarns to the needle selection at stations 16 and18 in the same manner, as above set forth, that the fingers 25 and 29feed their yarns at the stations 17 and 19. Hence, in the device of saidprior patent the finger 25 is moved to inactive position and the finger29 remains in active position at each of the stations 16 to 19 to feedtheir yarns during an oscillation of the ring member 37 in one directionto form a pair of courses of the alternate pattern areas and during anoscillation of the ring member in the opposite direction the positionsof the fingers 25 and 29 are reversed at each station to fill in andform pairs of courses of the intervening pattern areas. Where the areaformed by the yarn of the finger 29 associated with one station and theadjacent area formed by the finger 25 at the adjacent station are fed toneedles within their respective needle groups to knit at these stations,although the areas are formed in different pairs of knitting strokes,the feeding paths of the yarns will not cross each other. However, Whena yarn normally forming a pattern area at one station, during a pair ofknitting strokes crosses the yarn normally forming an adjacent patternarea at an adjacent station during a different pair of knitting strokesand is knit within the needle selection associated with tht adjacentstation to form its pattern area, that is, when the yarn of finger 29 isknit within the needle selection normally associated with the yarn offinger 25 and vice versa, the feeding paths of the yarns cause the yarnsto continuously cross and twist around each other and result in theformation of floats between the adjoining sutures and the outer sutureof the pattern areas formed by these yarns.

In accordance with the invention, in order to prevent the twisting ofthe yarns and the formation of floats at such times, the movement ofyarn fingers at the opposed pairs of knitting stations is reversed, thatis the fingers 25 are in active position at one opposed pair of stationsand simultaneously at the other opposed pair of stations, the fingers 29are in active position. This reversing action of the fingers at theopposed pairs of stations results in the formation of a pair ofadjoining pattern areas by adjacent fingers at each of an adjacent pairof the stations during the same knitting strokes and as each of theyarns forming the pair of adjoining areas are knitted within the needleselection at the station with which it is associated the feeding pathsof the yarns will not cross each other. Likewise, when it occurs thatthe position of the adjoining pattern areas formed by the yarns of theadjacent at the adjacent pair of stations 14S reversed in relationshipto each other, as above set forth the feeding paths of the adjacentyarns also cross each other, but inasmuch as both yarns form theirrespective areas in the same knitting strokes the yarns merely crosseach other without twisting.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the means for reversing the action of thefingers 25 and 2% at the knitting stations 16 and 18 includes the cams67 which are carried in suitably spaced relationship on the ring member37. At the knitting station 16, the right cam 67 is adapted to engage afollower 8t) rotatably mounted in the free end of an arm 81 of a lever82 which is pivoted on a stud 85 secured in the right wall of thehousing 32. A second arm 86 of the lever 82 has fixed thereto by meansof a screw 87, a bridge member 96 which extends across the fingers 25 to29 and which is provided with a downwardly projecting portion 91 forengagement with the finger 25 (FIG. 3) which is the left finger of thegroup of fingers 25 to 29 as viewed in FIGS. 1 and 3. The left cam 67similarly engages a follower 8t} rotatably mounted in the free end of anarm 92 of a lever 95 which is mounted on a stud 96 carried in the leftwall of the housing 32. A second arm 97 fixedly carries a bridge member108 which extends from left to right across the fingers 25 to 29 and isprovided with a downwardly extending portion 161 for engagement with thefinger 29. As shown in FIG. 1 a similar lever 82 and bridge member 90 isprovided for controlling the finger 25 and a similar lever 95 and bridgemember 160 is provided for controlling the finger 29 at the knittingstation 18, the position of the levers and bridge members at thestations 16 and 18 being, however, in reversed order.

In operation, to form the pair of pattern areas within the needleselection at each feed during pairs of reciprocatory strokes of theneedle cylinder 15, an oscillation of the ring member 37 in theclockwise direction will move the finger 25 at each of stations 16 and18 and the finger 2? at each of stations 17 and 19 to inactive positionand the finger 29 at stations and 18 and the fingers at stations 17 and19 will remain in active positions to form courses of alternate adjacentpairs of suture joined pattern areas during alternate pairs ofsuccessive knitting strokes. During the oscillation of the ring memberin the counterclockwise direction, the positions of the fingers arereversed at the stations and the fingers 25 at stations 16 and 18 andfingers 29 at stations 17 and 19 are in action during the interveningpairs of knitting strokes to fill in the intervening adjacent pairs ofpattern areas. Hence, in relation to the direction of each osciiiationof the ring member 37, a leading finger is in action at stations 16 and1S and a trailing finger is in action at the stations 17 and 19 to formthe adjacent pairs of pattern areas.

As herein set forth, the ring member 37 is oscillated once for each twosuccessive knitting strokes of the needle cylinder to alternately movethe fingers 25 and 29 to active position at each knitting station toform two courses of the respective pattern areas. However, when it isdesired to form single courses in the respective pattern areas thefingers 25 and 29 may be moved between their active and inactivepositions during single knitting strokes by oscillating the ring member37 once for each knitting stroke of the cylinder, the means foroscillating the ring member in this manner also being shown anddescribed in said Patent No. 2,948,13l.

It will be understood that the improvement specifically shown anddescribed by which the above described results are obtained can bechanged and modified in various ways without departing from theinvention herein disclosed and hereinafter claimed.

I claim:

1. A circular knitting machine having a plurality of knitting stationsand adapted to reciprocatorily knit at said stations, a plurality ofyarn feeding fingers at each of said stations, pattern means toselectively move said fingers into and out of yarn feeding positions ateach of said stations, an intermittently oscillatable ring memberoperatively associated with and adapted to alternately move a pair offingers out of yarn feeding position at each of said stations which havebeen moved into feeding position by said pattern means, and meanscooperating with said ring member to move a leading one of said pair offingers out of feeding position at each of an opposed pair of saidstations and to move a trailing one of said pair of fingers out offeeding position at each of another opposed pair of said stations duringeach oscillating movement of said ring member.

2. A circular knitting machine having a plurality of knitting stationsand adapted to reciprocatorily knit at said stations, a plurality ofyarn feeding fingers at each of said stations, pattern means toselectively move said fingers into and out of feeding position at eachof said stations, an intermittently oscillatable ring member operativelyassociated with and adapted to move fingers out of yarn feeding positionat each of said stations which have been moved into feeding position bysaid pattern means, and means cooperating with said ring member to movea leading one of said fingers out of feeding position at certain of saidstations and to move a trailing one of said fingers out of feedingposition at others of said stations during each oscillating movement ofsaid ring member.

3. A circular knitting machine having a plurality of knitting stationsand adapted to reciprocatorily knit at said stations, a plurality ofyarn feeding fingers at each of said stations, pattern means toselectively move said fingers into and out of yarn feeding positions ateach of said stations, an intermittently oscillatable ring memberadapted to operate on yarn fingers moved into feeding position at eachof said stations which have been moved into feeding position by saidpattern means, means for oscillating said ring member, means on saidring member for moving a leading one of the fingers out of feedingposition at certain of said stations during each oscillating movement ofsaid ring member, and means operated by said ring member at others ofsaid stations for moving a trailing one of said fingers out of feedingposition during each oscillating movement of said ring member.

4. A circular knitting machine having a plurality of knitting stationsand adapted to reciprocatorily knit at said stations a plurality of yarnfeeding fingers at each of said stations pattern means to selectivelymove said fingers into and out of feeding positions at each of saidstations, and means for intermittently moving yarn fingers out offeeding position at each of said stations which have been moved tofeeding position by said pattern means including an oscillatable ringmember, means for oscillating said ring member, means on said ringmember for moving a leading one of said fingers out of feeding positionat certain of said stations during each oscillating movement of saidring member, and means operated by said ring member for moving atrailing one of said fingers out of feeding positions at others of saidstations during each oscillating movement of said ring member.

5. A circular knitting machine having a plurality of knitting stationsand adapted to reciprocatorily knit at said stations, a plurality ofyarn feeding fingers at each of said stations, pattern means toselectively move said fingers into and out of feeding positions at eachof said stations, and means for intermittently moving yarn feedingfingers out of feeding positions at each of said stations which havebeen moved into feeding positions by said pattern means including anoscillatable member, means for oscillating said member, means on saidmember for moving a leading one of said fingers out of feeding positionat each of an opposed pair of said stations during an oscillatingmovement of said member in one direction, and means operated by saidmember for moving a trailing one of said fingers out of feeding positionat each of another opposed pair of said stations during an oscillatingmovement of said member in said one direction.

6. A circular knitting machine having a plurality of knitting stationsand adapted to reciprocatorily knit at said stations, a plurality ofyarn feeding fingers at each of said stations, pattern means toselectively move said fingers into and out of feeding positions at eachof said stations, and means for intermittently moving fingers out offeeding positions at each of said stations which have been moved intofeeding positions by said pattern means including an intermittentlymovable ring member to control said fingers at each of said stations forindividual strokes of reciprocatory knitting, means for moving said ringmember in one direction for alternate strokes of reciprocatory knitting,means on said ring member for moving a leading one of said fingers outof feeding position at each of an opposed pair of said stations duringeach movement of said ring member, and means operated by said ringmember for moving a trailing one of said fingers at each of anotheropposed pair of said stations during each movement of said ring member.

7. A circular knitting machine having a plurality of knitting stationsand adapted to reciprocatorily knit at said stations, a plurality ofyarn feeding fingers at each of said stations, pattern means toselectively move said fingers into and out of feeding positions at eachof said stations, and means for intermittently moving yarn feedingfingers out of feeding positions at each of said stations which havebeen moved into feeding positions by said pattern means including anoscillatable member, means for oscillating said member, means on saidmember for moving a leading one of said fingers out of feeding positionat each of an opposed pair of said stations during an oscillatingmovement of said member in one direct-ion, and means for moving atrailing one of said fingers out of feeding position at each of anotheropposed pair of said stations during said oscillating movement of saidmember in said one direction, said last mentioned means including a camon said member, a lever operated by said cam, and means on said leverfor engaging said trailing finger.

8. A circular knitting machine having a plurality of knitting stationsand adapted to reciprocatorily knit at said stations, a plurality offingers for feeding yarns at each of said stations, pattern means toselectively move said fingers into and out of feeding positions at eachof said stations, and means for intermittently moving fingers out offeeding positions at each of said stations which have been moved intofeeding positions by said pattern means including an oscillatablemember, means for oscillating said member, means on said member formoving a leading one of said fingers out of feeding position at each ofan opposed pair of said stations during an oscillating movement of saidmember in one direction, and means for moving a trailing one of saidfingers out of feeding position at each of another opposed pair of saidstations during said oscillating movement of said members in said onedirection, said last mentioned means including cam means on said member,a lever operated by said cam means and positioned adjacent to theleading one of said fingers at each of said other sta tions, and meanson said lever for engaging said trailing finger.

9. A circular knitting machine having a plurality of knitting stationsand adapted to reciprocatorily knit at said stations, a plurality ofyarn feeding fingers at each of said stations, pattern means toselectively move said fingers into and out of feeding positions at eachof said stations, an intermittently movable member associated With andadapted to move fingers out of yarn feeding position as each of saidstations which have been moved into feeding position by said patternmeans, and means cooperating with said member to move a leading one ofsaid fingers out of feeding position at one of said stations and to movea trailing one of said fingers out of feeding position at another ofsaid stations during each movement of said member.

10. A circular knitting machine having a plurality of knitting stationsand adapted to reciprocatorily knit at said stations, a plurality ofyarn feeding fingers at each of said stations, pattern means toselectively move said fingers into and out of yarn feeding positions ateach of said stations, an intermittently movable member adapted tooperate on yarn fingers moved into feeding position at each of saidstations which have been moved into feeding position by said patternmeans, means for moving said member, means on said member for moving aleading one of said fingers out of feeding position at one of saidstations during each movement of said member, and means operated by saidmember at another of said stations for moving a trailing one of saidfingers out of feeding position during each movement of said member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,115,128 Swinglehurst Oct. 27, 1914 2,092,347 Candle et al. Sept. 7,1937 2,143,952 Lawson et a1 Jan. 17, 1939

